


What Matters Most

by thiswildheart



Series: Where you go, I go too [2]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Force-Sensitive Din Djarin, Found Family, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29681883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thiswildheart/pseuds/thiswildheart
Summary: Din goes with Luke and Grogu to Luke's new Jedi temple and tries to adjust to the idea of actually settling somewhere in peace. Between the threat of the Empire, his broken Creed and the strange Jedi he's apparently now living with, he's not even sure where to start.He's also completely oblivious to several important things, but he'll figure that out later.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker
Series: Where you go, I go too [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173170
Comments: 14
Kudos: 209





	What Matters Most

**Author's Note:**

> The response to this series so far really means a lot to me. You're all brilliant. <3
> 
> This marks the beginning of a few Din/Luke oneshots set in the same universe as part one of this series - connected but capable of being read alone. I'm trying to write chronologically at the moment but the series order might end up shifting when that falls apart later.
> 
> I only started writing this one because I needed a bridge between the last piece and the next idea I had... Things got a bit out of hand.
> 
> (Also I'm trying to supplement my lacking Star Wars knowledge with research, but if anything doesn't make sense it's because I improvised. Consider this a blanket warning for the whole series that I'm probably wrong about the Force, and all geography.)

The whole thing with the Jedi - it feels weird to Din, and it's a long time before that feeling goes away.

For one thing, he's always thought his time with the kid had an expiration date. At first it was just about escape, survival, keeping one step ahead of the bounty hunters, the client and Gideon to keep the kid safe. Then the Armourer named him the kid's guardian, but only until (or _if_ ) he could reunite him with his people. It would have been a betrayal to wish for the quest to fail; he didn't, he did his best, and he managed it in the end. But he did think, sometimes, about what he'd do if it didn't work. That was just being prepared, wasn't it? Thinking about formally taking Grogu as his own, raising him...

Being a family.

Such a fragile, wistful, foolish thought. Not the kind of thought that belonged in the world Din lived in; not for the kind of man Din was.

He found a Jedi, or the Jedi found him, and Grogu would have his people and the life he always should have had.

And he trusts the Jedi to see it done, too. He doesn't know why, doesn't have words to explain it. It's an instinct, like the way he can have his blaster raised before most people would even have heard footsteps coming - only in reverse, because he knows that his kid is going to be alright with this man. It's a feeling he's never had before, and he doesn't understand it, but he _knows_ it's true.

But then the Jedi invites him to join them, says Grogu needs him and that it's safe, that it's actually better for the kid that he comes, and that terrible and beautiful warmth rises in his chest again.

All this time he thought there were two options ahead of him, neither within his own choosing. He would give the child up, or he would keep him. Whichever happened would be both success and failure. Now there is this, a path there for the taking, where the child will have the training he needs to be safe, to control and wield his powers, protected by this man who can take down a small army of dark troopers alone - and Din can be there too.

There aren't any questions that matter. How long he can stay with them, where they're going, how they'll live, in what capacity he can be there (must he keep his distance or can he still help raise the child, can he call himself a father) - none of it changes his answer.

"Yes," he says, and the word comes out half-choked with tears. The kid is patient enough to wait for Din to settle his helmet back on, but then the Jedi has to hand him over before he wriggles free, so eager to get back into Din's arms.

The parting is a blur. Bo Katan refuses to speak openly in front of the Jedi, only says she will make sure their paths cross again. Whether it's a threat or promise he doesn't pause to determine. He settles with Fennec that he'll take an imperial craft, doesn't need a ride from Fett, but that he's grateful for their help. She chucks him a comlink to stay in touch, which is a welcome surprise. Cara, who will be hitching a ride with them and her captive until Nevarro, clasps arms with Din and rubs the kid's ear in farewell. Din promises to keep her posted when he can.

Following the Jedi and his droid down through the ship feels surreal, like Din has stepped into the life of someone much luckier than himself. That luck isn't about the mysterious representative of an almost mythical culture that he's following, or the ruined droid husks around them that are testament to his power. It's just Grogu, blinking curiously around him, too sleepy to offer more than the occasional burble but too stubborn to fall asleep. One hand is wrapped around Din's thumb, too small to even cover the whole digit.

All that grief and terror of having lost him, the desperate fight to save him, and now Din doesn't have to give him up.

It's like dying and then being given another chance at life. He loves this kid so much he doesn't even know who he is outside of that love any more.

And it's almost as if Grogu knows that, because he's no sooner thought it, felt the love as a burst of heat in his chest, than Grogu looks up at him with a tiny smile and squeezes his thumb tighter.

The Jedi looks back, too, giving then both a soft smile, and Din's not sure what to make of it. The expression breaks the benevolent calm of before and makes Din realise the man is younger than he'd first thought. Din would call it a kind face, if he'd lived the sort of life that let him rely on such things.

"Where are we headed?" Din asks, rather than linger on the thought.

"I'd rather not say here," the Jedi says, faintly apologetic but firm. "On the off-chance any of this is being recorded," he clarifies, with a deliberate glance around them. Din thinks of the security footage that played on the bridge, and the possibility that it might have been transmitted off-ship too, or that Bo-Katan might still be watching.

He nods in understanding. The security of where they're taking Grogu is paramount.

By the time they reach the launch tube, his ability to think beyond the immediacy of his relief has started to recover. The Jedi's X-Wing is parked neatly near the entrance, in contrast to the damaged shuttle they'd pretty much smashed on the way in. The X-Wing is a clear sign that the Jedi's decision to invite Din along was an unplanned one, but that's a thought he shoves aside for now.

"I'll take a TIE fighter," he says. There's not much choice, just that or a couple of shuttles, and he isn't about to head out in something that doesn't have a good gun on it. "It might have a tracker, but I know a place I can trade it in for another craft."

The Jedi looks faintly surprised, and it's no wonder. Plenty of traders have dealt in the wreckage of both Empire and New Republic ships incapacitated in the war for years, but a brand new TIE would raise more than a few questions even somewhere like Jakku.

He doesn't comment on it, though. "Let me get a comlink out of the ship," he says, beckoning Din onwards. The droid still speeding along at his side beeps something, and for the first time in his life Din wishes he spoke droid when whatever it said sends a faint red blush across the Jedi's face.

The Jedi swings himself into the X-Wing easily, leaning back down to pass Din his second comlink of the day. "Just let me know where we're heading. Once we're sorted with the ships I'll give you the co-ordinates for my base. I'm Luke, by the way. Luke Skywalker. And this is R2-D2."

Din nods, tucking the comlink away, but he doesn't head straight off to find a ship. Instead, he takes a long moment to look at Grogu, whose eyes are starting to shutter closed as exhaustion overtakes him - then he reaches up to hold the kid out to the Jedi.

The man, Skywalker, looks startled. He seems to have been waiting for something else, but the anticipation on his face changes to confusion as he reaches out to lift the kid into the cockpit.

"Don't follow me into atmo, where I'm going," he says. "They won't welcome a New Republic ship there. And it's not the kind of place I want to take the kid." Not now that he has a choice about it. He's so used to needing to bring Grogu everywhere because it's the only way to protect him; it's strange to be able to share that responsibility.

Skywalker clearly understands, and he settles the kid into his lap with an easy confidence, but there's still something unsettling about watching the Jedi prepare for takeoff. He isn't sure why. He was going to let the man fly out of here with his kid and stay behind, he was bracing himself for that, but it _hurts_ , even so, to see his kid leave without him. It's like someone's cutting the heart out of his chest with a rusty knife, and it takes him so long to tear himself away that the droid beeps curiously at him while it's lifted up onto the ship.

He's weirdly grateful that the TIE fighter is so difficult to fly. He comms the coordinates over to Skywalker then has to stay totally focused to follow him out. It takes a minute or two to learn how to move the thing smoothly; the controls are familiar enough but it's _fast_ , and more responsive to tiny movements than the Razor Crest had been. Flying it feels strange, which must just be him subconsciously comparing it to the Crest, but it feels almost too easy to imagine the wrongs committed by this ship and all the ones like it.

He heads down to the outpost alone. He's rarely been to this planet because it's the sort of shady place that even bounties tend to avoid. That does mean no one bats an eye when he lands in an imperial ship, but the negotiations it takes to trade the ship for another - post-Empire, but not actually imperial - are the kind that make him glad he's wearing beskar. When he comms the Jedi as they rendezvous just beyond orbit, the man asks if it went okay; Din gives a brief affirmation that leaves out the blaster shots.

From there, they make one more stop at a more reputable planet. It takes Din a touch longer here, conscious that the Jedi and the kid are watching from a distance, but he manages to trade in his briefly owned craft again. What he gets isn't as much like the Razor Crest as he'd like, but it's pre-Empire, untraceable, and it'll do in a pinch. Besides, despite the less familiar exterior it has a similar design to the Crest inside, with a sleeping area that's the same shape but bigger, if anything, and when he catches himself thinking that the kid might like having some extra room he lets himself smile under the helmet. He can still have thoughts like that, doesn't have to catch himself in sudden moments of loss.

They pick up some supplies while they're there; Skywalker tells him the temple is more or less self-sustaining but he likes to stock up on a few of the things he can't grow for himself whenever he passes through a market. Din's not sure what to make of the reference to a temple, but maybe for a Jedi that's what a covert is to a Mandalorian.

Grogu's clearly had a nap while they were in hyperspace, and he's pleasantly excited to see Din again after even a short separation but also happy to bounce around in Skywalker's arms while they explore the market. Din follows behind them, nodding occasionally in acknowledgement when Grogu twists back to wave at him, but mostly watching the Jedi attempt to buy food while wrangling the perpetually hungry womp rat he's carrying. He doesn't know the man at all, yet, is still troubled by the instinctive trust he'd felt when they met, but there's still something inherently satisfying in watching someone else struggle to keep the kid in line as much as he has.

He doesn't buy much, just rations and a few pieces of clothing to replace what he lost on the Crest - what else could he need, after all - until he has to stop suddenly to avoid colliding with a pair of children who've just run out of a shop, giggling and shoving at each other. It's a low building with a wide doorway, same as the others here, and inside he can see tables and shelves of brightly coloured objects, glowing lights, miniature holograms.

It's a toy shop.

Luke and Grogu are talking to a farm vendor a few yards ahead, and no one is watching them. Din ducks into the shop.

He feels slightly overwhelmed in a different way from his usual worries about the kid. He's never really tried to buy anything for him - never had much of a chance. The closest he came was when they were on Sorgen, when he summoned the nerve to ask Omera a few questions about parenting and got steadily more panicked by the answers. He's got no idea what Grogu would want to play with. They haven't really done _play_. He knows the kid loves snacks, and he's an adrenaline junkie, and he coveted that little silver ball the moment he saw it. Apart from that, there's not really been time for anything except Grogu coming with him on all his work. Or maybe there has been time and he's just really, really let the kid down.

He spends probably too much time poking around at the shelves, uncomfortably aware of the shopkeeper's curious eyes following him. At least they're blessedly silent as he considers educational holoscreens (unlikely to keep the kid's focus), remote control space craft replicas (guaranteed disasters in the making) and a light up model of the stars in this quadrant (redundant, since Grogu spends so much time in actual space). Inspiration finally strikes when he comes across a pile of soft toys. There's one that must be a representation of this world's closet equivalent to a frog; it looks much like the ones Grogu's eaten before, but with a couple of extra legs. It's made of some synthetic material and padded inside, stitched strongly enough that it should withstand being chewed, and - and it looks soft. It's not a whole lot smaller than Grogu is, but... he thinks the kid would like it.

Credits exchanged, probing questions ignored and the toy stuffed into his satchel, Din catches up to the others in time to find Luke trying to wipe mushy fruit off Grogu's face while apologising profusely to the stall keeper.

He might have been content with Luke, but Grogu insists on travelling the next leg of the journey with Din. Din can't help being pleased about it, and he's patient in letting Grogu wander around the new ship - though he keeps a close eye on him, knowing too well that the kid is liable to find something he's missed and try to eat it otherwise.

When they make it up to the cockpit, he straps Grogu in and pulls out the toy. He's weirdly nervous about it - he's never really given the kid anything. The ball hardly seems to count, and it was Cara who actually gave the pendant to him, Din just let him keep it afterwards. He's not entirely sure whether he'll like it.

Din needn't have worried. As soon as Grogu sees it, he makes the same noise he does when Din pulls off a particularly showy bit of flying; he cries out, arms waving, and strains forward until Din hands the toy over. It gets thoroughly inspected, sniffed and stroked, and then without hesitation one of the feet gets jammed into his mouth.

Well. Din will have to keep an eye to make sure he's not actually trying to eat it, but that seems to have gone down well.

He feels unusually cheerful as he begins to activate the controls, and comms the Jedi to find out where they're headed.

* * *

If his first sign that the Jedi is serious about security was the hesitation in handing over the coordinates, the second is that the planet _only_ has coordinates and not a name. They've not gone _far_ into the Unknown Regions, but that's pretty relative once you get beyond the bounds of mapped space. Din knows more of the galaxy than most, albeit with a specialism in the Outer Rim, but everything out here is new to him and he's fully reliant on the coordinates and calculations Skywalker's given him. He's depending on that inexplicable thread of trust again, which is something he's not used to banking his life on, let alone the kid's. But Grogu still seems to be having a grand time, working his way around the frog toy to give a good chew on each of its legs, even when Din spends one of the most harrowing hours of his life following Skywalker through an asteroid field.

When one planet grows bigger in front of them and they finally descend into atmosphere, they're met by huge swathes of green and blue. The shape of the land masses far below are new to him, but there's something almost familiar to it, like the echo of a hundred other places he's been. As they descend, more features come into focus, a continent becoming a wild landscape of mountains, rivers, forests. The landing site is nothing more than a field at the base of a cliff that mostly conceals it from view.

Din can't help being impressed by how smoothly Skywalker lands. His own landing is slightly rougher, since he's still getting used to the craft, but it's not like the kid minds. He picks Grogu up, damp frog toy and all, and joins Skywalker outside.

His base is a short walk away. They follow a route Skywalker seems to know well, despite there being no visible path, and the Jedi talks the whole way there.

"I wanted to keep the area around the temple free for the kids, you know, and to give me a bit of warning when there are visitors. It's a peaceful place, I'm sure you'll like it. See, we're in the Unknown Regions, but it's not _really_ unknown, exactly. The Jedi Order was actually founded in the Unknowns, thousands of years ago, and they had temples out here that have been lost from the records for a long time. I found a reference to this one in a holocron I bought on the black market, long story, just a partial coordinate but I knew it was the perfect spot when I tracked it down. The temple's not in perfect condition, I'll admit, but the way they built it was inspired, you'd never know how old it was."

It's a lot of chatter, but Din finds he doesn't actually mind it. Skywalker doesn't seem to be bothered by the absence of response, and when they emerge from the trees he gestures forward with a flourish.

"Welcome to the temple!"

In all his searching for the Jedi, it never really occurred to Din to wonder about the specifics of where one might live. He pondered planets, of course, sectors they might live in and the kind of landmasses they might favour, but he was always so focused on the big questions that he never asked himself what kind of home a Jedi might have, what kind of environment he was sending the kid into.

Which was probably just as well, because if he'd known it was _this_ , he might have tried a little less hard to find Skywalker.

It's not that the place is unpleasant, exactly. It's clearly a fertile planet. The trees they've been walking through are huge and ancient, growing far apart to let light flood generously through. Here, they ring a huge clearing of bright grass. Water is running somewhere out of sight, and distant mountain crests can be glimpsed between the leaves.

The location is fine, even if the sight lines aren't as clear as he'd like. It's the building in the middle that's making him uneasy.

It's a temple; that much he can would have been able to tell without the introduction, despite how little he knows of the Jedi. It's a large structure, mostly low but sprawling, with a curving dome in the central portion of roof. Mostly, though, it looks abandoned. Parts of the stonework are crumbling. The dome is probably glass, but dirt has rendered it almost the same colour as the stonework so it's hard to be sure. Plants are growing over many of the walls like the forest is trying to reclaim the land.

Acutely aware of the man standing right next to him, Din flounders. He doesn't want to offend Skywalker; he can't risk anything that might make him less willing to have Din here. It's all too easy to imagine how he'd feel if their roles were reversed and he was showing Skywalker around his covert, only to be met with a poor reaction, but...

This place is clearly very old, and it's been empty for a very long time. It doesn't look like anyone could live here, let alone a child as (relatively) young as Grogu. It doesn't look _safe_.

He leaves it a bit too late to say anything, and Skywalker clears his throat.

"It's not much yet," he says, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. Skywalker only wears a glove on one hand, and it's a curious thing to note. "Part of it's blocked off, as you can tell, but I've got plenty of living spaces cleared out. There's more than enough room for us, and for his training. Let me show you both around."

He starts off again. Din follows, mostly because there's not much else he can do at this point. Besides, the kid is beginning to shift in his arms, excitement clear in the twitching of his ears and the way his head swivels around like he's trying to take everything in at once.

What is it that the kid finds so fascinating? Skywalker makes a complicated gesture at the door and it swings open before him, but Din finds himself lingering outside a moment longer. There's a carefully tended area beside the doors, a patch of plants that are purely aesthetic so Din knows little about them, but near them is a sapling. It's a little tree, only a few feet tall, set within a wide circle of grass - it's clearly been planted with an eye to the much larger tree it will become in time. It's fairly unremarkable to look at, just a few thin branches with spiky yellow leaves, but it makes him feel strange - like he's forgotten something, like it reminds him of a memory that's just out of reach. Perhaps that ought to be a melancholy feeling but it feels almost sweet, instead, like the brush of a warm hand against his forehead.

Din pulls away from the tree and turns to follow Skywalker inside, unnerved.

But that peaceful feeling follows him inside. It's a far cry from the unloved interior he's begun to expect. Skywalker leads him through clean, tidy rooms filled with warm light from large windows. It's furnished sparsely, but everything looks practical and sturdy. There are large spaces for cooking and eating, various rooms intended for training, a dozen smaller rooms that seem to be intended as studies though only a few are furnished. Out of the rear facing windows he can see a large area of tilled earth with vegetables and fruit trees growing, and several water sterilisation tanks.

It's a large space, but it's only them here. Din asks Skywalker about that curiously.

"I've been preparing the temple for a while," the Jedi says easily, leading them down another corridor. "There's a lot to do still, I know, but it's come a long way. I was planning to get everything ready before I went looking for my first students, but the universe does tend to operate on surprises. Not that you aren't welcome here!" he adds hastily, looking suddenly flustered. "I'm really glad to have you here, of course, both of you, and I'm glad I was able to help."

Din comes to a halt. Skywalker realises quickly, pivoting gracefully to face him with a look of concern. "I really didn't mean any offence," he says cautiously.

"I am too. Glad."

Skywalker blinks. "Sorry?"

"I haven't said - you saved us. You saved _him_. Thank you. I owe you everything."

Skywalker has a very bright smile, Din thinks. Then he realises that might be the most frivolous thought he's ever had, and has to forcibly pull himself together.

"You don't owe me anything. I meant what I said, I'll always defend the child with my life. He's safe here. So are you. I swear it. Come on, let me show you the living quarters."

Skywalker beckons him on and Din follows as though he's being drawn on some invisible thread. It's nothing to do with sorcery, though, just his body taking over on autopilot while his mind momentarily blanks out.

No one's promised him safety since he was a child. The last time was the day the Mandalorians took him in, told him he was safe with the covert. And he was, in a way, because he survived and he was cared for and trained to be strong. But he hasn't really felt safe since before he lost his parents, in those distant memories of a life where he didn't have to worry, because someone else was there to make sure he was alright.

He isn't safe here. Nowhere in the galaxy's safe, really, and Skywalker can't promise him that. There are almost certainly terrestrial dangers on this planet, and there's always the threat of the hidden Empire and what new resources they might send after the child.

Nothing is that easy.

But the sentiment itself is a kindness he's not been offered in such a long time that he's glad Skywalker doesn't seem to expect an answer. He doesn't know what he'd say.

"Now, I've got several bedrooms cleared out but I'll set you up in here, it's the only one where I've been able to get the private fresher working."

He nudges open a door and stands aside with a smile, and Din takes his cue to look inside.

It's... quite a pleasant space, actually. The room is a decent size, nearly as big as the main floor of the Crest had been. The furniture looks comfortable, and frankly it's more living space than he's had in years. There's another door leading to the fresher, which is a generous gesture and suggests Skywalker knows more about Mandalorians than he'd expected. The only problem is the windows, which let in a lot of light and a great view of the clearing out the front, but they're also not particularly private.

"I won't be able to take my helmet off in here," he says awkwardly. He's had to talk more about the helmet lately than he's comfortable with, and he's uneasy - if this ends up being another conversation like the one with Mayfield, living with Skywalker is going to be hard work. He'd put up with it for the kid, of course, but it's tiring. He's not sure whether he even has the right to care any more, and the helmet feels suddenly heavier than it's been since he first wore it, because he took it off, he _removed the helmet_ , and not to save the kid this time but just to show him his face, just to let himself be known, and -

And there's a crisis waiting on the edge of his mind, right there, and he can't do this yet, he _can't_ , not when he's got Grogu still in his arms and a damned _Jedi_ standing next to him.

Din takes the panic and fear and crams it down, hard, in favour of relying on what he knows, and that's doing what it takes to follow the Way.

Skywalker is studying him intently, but the questions Din expects don't come.

"The windows are tinted," Skywalker says instead. "Here. You can adjust the opacity as well." He points out a small pad on the wall, and makes a circling motion with his fingers. The room dims, windows growing dark until it's as if they're in the middle of night. Then the daylight floods in again, responding to Skywalker's hand. "Great setting for a daytime nap, trust me. And they're always one way, so you can see out, no one can ever see in. Blast proof, too. You can test them later if you're not reassured."

It's not immediately obvious whether Skywalker is suggesting he tests whether he can see into the temple from outside or how explosion resistant it is, and something in the glint of the Jedi's eye tells Din he wouldn't get a straight answer even if he asks.

"I don't have a bed for Grogu," Skywalker adds. "I'm sorry - I never planned for anyone his age."

This, Din decides, probably isn't the time to mention the baby's actually fifty. "He always slept in a hammock, on the ship. He likes that, normally."

Grogu squeals in approval, and Luke laughs, nodding at the kid. "I can tell. Well, then, Grogu, your dad and I will get something set up! And I'm sure you can share with him in the meantime, right?"

 _Your dad_. _Your dad_. It's like the words are echoing around his helmet. He hears Skywalker say something about letting them get settled, hears footsteps receding down the corridor, but he just stands there until Grogu pats him impatiently. He sets the kid down on the bed, watching him clamber awkwardly about, climbing up onto the chest of drawers to peer out of the windows.

Grogu didn't even bat an eyelid at the words.

Din closes the door, locks it quietly. He goes to the bed, sitting down with his back to the window. It's not that he doesn't believe the Jedi, but he trusts an overabundance of caution more than a lack.

There's so much to figure out. He barely knows where he is right now, let alone what he's going to do next. What's the plan, here, for him and Skywalker to just live in a temple and raise this kid together? How's that going to work, what's Din even going to do here given that he isn't a Jedi, doesn't have any part to play in teaching Grogu to use his magic? He's only ever lived from one day to the next - one bounty to the next. Is he even still a Mandalorian? This is his armour, but maybe it isn't, any more, because he's broken the Creed. The Creed taught to him by a covert other Mandalorians call a cult, a covert that no longer exists - but still his Creed, still the only thing he's known and lived by for most of his life, the only way of life he's known in so long.

He doesn't know who he is, any more.

Only one thing in the universe is certain.

Grogu drops back down onto the bed, and makes his uneven way over to Din. He steadies himself with both hands on Din's thigh and looks up at him to burble something with a very serious expression.

One thing is certain.

Din releases the seal on his helmet. The faint sound it makes feels louder than it should. He hesitates, but only for a moment, then pulls the helmet off.

He sets it down beside him, eyes fixed on Grogu's face. The kid is smiling, reaching upwards. Din lifts him up, and this time Grogu presses both hands against Din's cheeks, runs a claw over the bridge of Din's nose, tugs at a sweaty lock of hair.

It's a kind of joy so sweet it's almost like pain. Din thinks he might be crying, but it doesn't matter.

He gets to stay with his kid. All the rest of it is secondary to that.

They've got time.

* * *

When he emerges later, helmet back on and Grogu padding along beside him, Skywalker is dropping things into a pot in the kitchen. He greets Din with a smile.

"Just getting something together for dinner, I'm sure you're both hungry. I'll level with you, I'm an awful cook, but even I can manage a stew."

Grogu calls out his approval of this, scurrying over to Luke's feet and tugging on the hem of his cloak. Luke, giving in just as quickly as Din always does, lifts him up to the counter and hands over a few vegetable slices.

Din is still trying to find his feet. It's a weird place to raise a kid. The temple might be stronger than it first seemed but he still suspects more bits of it are going to fall off sometime. There are almost certainly still people out there looking for Grogu. He doesn't know if they're safe here. And this man in front of him is strange, capable of things that should be impossible, dangerous and deadly but also so very gentle, and he's given Din the one thing he wants more than anything.

"Skywalker," he says.

Skywalker looks up with that bright smile. "Call me Luke, really. I much prefer it."

"Luke." It's a simple name, so he doesn't know why he almost stumbles on it. His heart seems to be beating a touch too fast. "I'm Din. Din Djarin."

It's a lifetime since he introduced himself with that name. As if he knows that - and maybe he does, somehow - Luke's smile grows impossibly brighter.

"I'm truly glad to meet you, Din Djarin."


End file.
